Getting German Citizenship

The German media has been reporting a sharp rise in applications from Brits in Germany seeking German citizenship, because as long as their application is made before Britain officially leaves the European Union, they will be able to retain their British passport. Once Brexit is finalized, however, British citizens applying for German citizenship may have to give up their British citizenship to do so—an understandably difficult decision.

Yabla is introducing the first installment of a new series this week with sample questions from the naturalization test required by the German government. The test is drawn from a total of 310 questions, ten of them specific to the state in which you are applying. But don't worry, they randomly draw a total of only 33 questions from the 310 for the test, and you only have to get 17 (or about 52%) of them correct. Today we can go through some German terms related to citizenship issues.

Heute geht es um den deutschen Einbürgerungstest.

Today it's about [we're talking about] the German naturalization test.

Caption 2, Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Einbürgerungstest
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From der Bürger (citizen) you get die Einbürgerung (naturalization).

Wann kann in Deutschland eine Partei verboten werden?

When can a political party become banned in Germany?

-Wenn sie gegen die Verfassung kämpft.

-When it strives against the constitution.

Captions 6-7, Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Einbürgerungstest
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Was ist mit dem deutschen Grundgesetz vereinbar?

What is compatible with the German constitution?

-Die Geldstrafe.

-Monetary penalties [fines].

Captions 17-18, Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Einbürgerungstest
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Here you see two common words for the constitution: die Verfassung and das Grundgesetz. In Germany, the concept of freedom of speech is, unlike that in the United States, defined in the constitution to forbid any speech which is hostile to democratic ideals or expresses hatred of people based on their nationality, race, or religion. The latter is a felony crime called die Volksverhetzung or "incitement to hatred" in the official government translation. It is also a serious crime in Germany to give a so-called Hitler salute with the right arm upraised, even in jest. A Canadian tourist found this out the hard way some years ago and had to pay a stiff fine.

Was ist Deutschland nicht?

What is Germany not?

-Eine Monarchie.

-A monarchy.

Captions 9-10, Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Einbürgerungstest
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If you didn't know that German isn't a monarchy, you may find this test difficult, but for the rest of you it should be pretty easy. Don't forget to learn the 16 Bundesländer!

Further Learning
Do a search on Yabla German for terms like der Staatsbürger or der Flüchtling to find videos with migration themes. You can also take a sample test with all 310 questions on the website of the Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge.